The Met Office has extended its amber heatwave warning for Friday and Saturday as a heat-dome could push UK temperatures to 40C, with red warnings already in place for Wednesday and Thursday.
New Amber Warning for Friday and Saturday
The Met Office has issued an additional amber warning for eastern and central England for Friday, with similar conditions expected on Saturday. Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesperson, said: "We have issued another amber warning for eastern and central England for Friday." The highest temperatures are anticipated for today and Thursday, with red warnings already in effect.
Areas Affected by the Amber Warning
The new amber alert on Friday covers the following regions:
- East Midlands: Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland
- East of England: Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, Thurrock
- London & South East England: Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham
- North West England: Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Greater Manchester, Halton, Merseyside, Warrington
- South West England: Gloucestershire
- West Midlands: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire
- Yorkshire & Humber: North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire
Record-Breaking Temperatures Expected
Temperatures are predicted to reach record-breaking highs in the mid to high 30s, with the possibility of nearing 40C on Thursday. The heatwave could break the June record of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976. The UK's all-time high of 40.3C, recorded in July 2022, could also be challenged. On Tuesday, the highest temperature noted was 34.6C in Wisley, Surrey.
Red Weather Warning Already in Place
The Met Office issued a red weather warning for extreme heat from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday, covering an area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham. Amber weather warnings are in place for other parts of England and Wales. Hundreds of schools are set to fully or partially shut in the coming days due to the extreme heat.
Impact of Humidity
Grahame Madge emphasised that the temperature is only one element of the extreme heatwave. "The other major factor is the high humidity which for many will make the intense heat even harder to endure," he said. The Met Office is flagging 39C as a headline maximum temperature on Thursday, most likely for London or the South East, but higher values are possible.
